Deepening Authenticity
Have you been there?
So often we wonder: “Am I on the right path? Am I doing the right thing?” Authenticity rarely answers with immediate clarity. Instead, it often begins with letting go — letting go of relationships, roles, routines, or habits that no longer feel aligned.
This release can feel disorienting, like standing in an open space with no map, no markers, and no certainty of what comes next.
Yet, it is within that very pause — the spacious and uncomfortable in between — that new alignment quietly begins to take root.
Familiarity ≠ Comfort
When we talk about authenticity in relation to mental health, it helps to bring in the lens of neuroscience — the field that studies how and why we behave the way we do.
From this perspective, hesitation makes sense. When we’re trying to discern what feels “right” for us, the nervous system often resists change. Authenticity sometimes requires a turning of the tide and choosing what is intimately true for you, even when it disrupts the familiar.
Here’s why that tension exists:
The body seeks familiarity. Predictable patterns signal safety. The amygdala, the brain’s threat detector, calms when it recognizes what it has seen before.
Familiar doesn’t mean healthy. We may stay in draining dynamics simply because they are known, and therefore feel deceptively secure.
Familiarity is not comfort. Comfort nurtures and restores. Familiarity merely repeats itself, even if it harms (*and even if it harms inadvertently or unintentionally)
When we confuse the two, we risk calling old wounds “safety” and keep ourselves small.
Authenticity invites us into a different kind of trust:
To notice when our nervous system is pulling us back toward the familiar.
To honor the fear that comes with emptiness and uncertainty.
To remain in that space long enough for something truer to emerge.
Off The Page: Actioning The Insights
Withstanding uncertainty and discovering your truth
Discovering Self
Authenticity looks different for everyone, and stepping into it is rarely easy. The courage to live your truth can stir uncertainty and challenging emotions, yet it also opens the door to freedom.
If you find yourself in that space, know you are not alone. The reflections below are here to support you as you explore your own truths, and if the process feels heavy, remember this journey doesn’t have to be walked alone.
If you or someone you know is seeking meaningful mental health support, you can use the links in the newsletter footer below to connect with me to access support within your own journey to greater authenticity.
Workplace/Professional Life
When do I feel pressure to perform a version of myself that doesn’t match who I really am?
How do I tell the difference between being a professional and losing touch with my genuine self?
Friendships
In what ways do I adjust myself to maintain belonging with friends?
What topics or truths do I avoid to “keep the peace”?
Family Relationships
Where do I hold back my feelings or desires to preserve harmony?
How have traditional gender or family roles shaped the way I show (or hide) parts of myself?
Cultural/ Social Identity
When have I felt the need to code switch in order to be accepted?
Where am I negotiating between my individual authenticity and the expectations of the community where I am positioned?
Thank You
Thank you for joining me this week! I’m excited to keep sharing insights from my work, research, and personal journey with you.
Did something resonate with you? Curious about applying these strategies in your life? Or know someone who might benefit?
Use the link below to schedule a consultation or forward this newsletter to a friend!
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